'100% locked in': Why Oklahoma State QB commit Zane Flores never wavered when others pursued him
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STILLWATER — While rumors swirled about how Nebraska’s new coaching staff might try to poach Zane Flores from the Oklahoma State recruiting class, Flores just kept seeing Cowboy coaches standing in front of him.
Over three consecutive weeks once the season ended, OSU coaches made trips to Flores’ hometown of Gretna, Nebraska, to make sure the Pokes were front and center in his recruitment, regardless of what new Cornhuskers coach Matt Rhule tried to do.
First, it was OSU quarterback coach Tim Rattay, who had been Flores’ primary recruiter. The next week, it was Rattay and head coach Mike Gundy. Finally, Rattay and offensive coordinator Kasey Dunn made the trip to Gretna in the last week coaches could make in-home visits.
And Flores appreciated the effort, even though his commitment never really seemed to waver.
“Throughout the whole season and the offseason, I was talking to them quite a bit,” Flores said of OSU coaches. “It’s been good. They’ve been staying in contact a lot.
“Nebraska was wondering where I stood with things and if my recruitment was still open, and I just let them know, no, I’m still 100% locked in on Oklahoma State.”
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Flores is among a group of 16 recruits set to sign letters of intent with OSU on Wednesday morning, and as a 6-foot-4, 195-pound quarterback with a big arm, a winning past and some state records, Flores is the centerpiece of this Cowboy recruiting class.
OSU’s transfer portal additions — a number that currently stands at seven — might offer more immediate impact, but among the high school signees, Flores is the jewel.
Rattay identified him early and was at the leading edge when Flores’ recruiting exploded last winter and spring, earning Flores' commitment in April. He is set to enroll in the second week of January and be on campus when the Cowboys’ quarterback battle gets heated up in spring practice next March.
It’ll be Flores, Garret Rangel and Gunnar Gundy, plus a potential transfer portal pickup, maybe someone like former Virginia starter Brennan Armstrong, who recently visited Stillwater.
“I’m excited to get there,” said Flores, who will move in Jan. 11. “It’s always been a dream of mine to go play college football. It’s getting really close here, so it’s exciting.”
He leaves Gretna as the all-time passing leader in school history — by a mile. His total sits at 9,163 career passing yards with second place at 3,783. Flores has the top three single-season passing marks in school history and seven of the top nine single-game passing totals.
His career number is also the Nebraska state record for the largest class and his 414 yards in the Class A title game a few weeks ago was a championship game record. He led Gretna to a Class A title last year and runner-up finish this year.
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He threw for 380 yards or more three times this season, a year in which he felt his skills sharpening across the board.
“My arm talent overall got a lot better, accuracy and arm strength,” he said. “Footwork-wise, I feel like I’ve gotten more athletic, being able to make more plays with my feet. And the mental part of the game, I’ve gotten a lot more comfortable there, reading defenses and all that.”
From his coach’s perspective, Flores’ biggest trait this season was his ability to keep the offense rolling smoothly in the face of adversity.
“We had some injuries,” Gretna coach Mike Kayl said. “We lost our leading receiver from last year, a big playmaker for us. We were very sad for him, but the leadership Zane showed, he and the coaches found guys to step in.
“His composure, we had a couple games where we were down a decent amount and we came back because we kept our cool and found ways to rally. We were down 26 against Bellevue West with seven minutes to go, and we came back and won it. Zane is able to fight through adversity and do whatever it takes to win ballgames.”
Flores had some early interceptions in the title game this season but didn’t lose focus and fought back to get his team in position to win the game. After trailing 31-14, Gretna rallied to take a 41-40 lead until Omaha Westside worked its way into field goal range for a last-second game-winner in a 43-41 victory.
“We were four seconds away from a second straight title,” Kayl said. “Zane keeps a level head. You gotta be able to handle the highs and lows, and those are things for him that will transfer over to the next level.”
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Oklahoma State 2023 commits
Here’s a look at the players committed to Oklahoma State for football in the class of 2023, who are expected to sign letters of intent on Wednesday.
Name, Position, Height, Weight, Hometown (School)
Jack Endean, OL, 6-6, 266, Tucson, Arizona (Tanque Verde)
Ike Esonwune, LB, 6-2, 218, Manor, Texas
Zane Flores, QB, 6-4, 195, Gretna, Nebraska
Jaedon Foreman, DE, 6-3, 250, Del City
Kamryn Franklin, S, 6-3, 187, Oak Grove, Louisiana
Camron Heard, WR, 6-0, 155, Houston (Furr)
Hudson Kaak, P, 6-1, 191, Seymour, Victoria, Australia (Prokick Australia)
Isaiah Kema*, OL, 6-4, 298, Wolfforth, Texas (Frenship)
R.J. Lester, CB, 6-3, 185, Fort Smith, Ark. (Northside)
Ricky Lolohea, DL, 6-4, 250, Euless, Texas (Trinity)
JaKobe Sanders, OL, 6-3, 285, Stillwater
Dylan Smith, CB, 6-0, 170, Aubrey, Texas (Braswell)
Gage Stanaland, OL, 6-5, 290, Tuscola, Texas (Jim Ned)
Poasa Utu, LB, 6-1, 205, Kennedale, Texas
Lardarius Webb, DB, 5-10, 180, Jackson, Miss. (Jones College)
Tywon Wray Jr., S, 6-2, 180, Smyrna, Ga. (Campbell)
*Kema is scheduled to begin a two-year Mormon mission in January and will not play college football until 2025.
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OSU transfer portal additions
These players from the transfer portal have announced their commitment to Oklahoma State.
Name, Position, Height, Weight, Hometown (School)
Dalton Cooper, OL, 6-6, 320, Prague (Texas State)
Anthony Goodlow, DL, 6-4, 286, Del City (Tulsa)
Kenneth Harris, CB, 6-0, 193, Monroe, La. (Arkansas State)
Noah McKinney, OL, 6-5, 310, Las Vegas, Nevada (UNLV)
De'Zhaun Stribling, WR 6-3, 204, Kapolei, Hawaii (Washington State)
Sean Tyler, RB, 5-8, 185, Richton, Ill. (Western Michigan)
Justin Wright, LB, 6-2, 244, Abilene, Texas (Tulsa)
*Goodlow, Tyler and Wright will be super-seniors. Cooper, Harris and Stribling have two years of eligibility. McKinney has four years remaining.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State football: Zane Flores stayed true to Cowboys 2023 class
